The coolest bars and restaurants in town

Chicken Shop Thrillist 47 London

It’s that time of year again, when we pay homage to both the city’s most amazing bars & restos, and seemingly randomly selected numbers -- it’s the Thrillist 47, refreshed to stay current (sorry Pizza East, Pizza Pilgrims is the new hand-stretched kid on the block), and here to bring you a ‘hood-organized list of capital-conquering newness like “Korean drinking food”, lobster corn dogs, and cocktails hidden under smoke-filled hats…
 

SOHO/COVENT GARDEN

Flat Iron London

1) Flat Iron
17 Beak St
Get yourself a tender cut of steak for just a tenner in Soho, before hitting the slick cocktail bar below.
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Flesh and Buns LONDON

2) Flesh and Buns
41 Earlham St; 20 7632 9500
Hit Soho for edgy Japanese food courtesy of Ross Shonhan, the mastermind behind the equally sexy-sounding ramen bar Bone Daddies. Here, you'll find lamb hirata buns, plus DIY s'mores that come w/ their own little grill.
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Bone Daddies

3) Bone Daddies
31 Peter St; 0207 287 8581
From an ex-Zuma chef, BD's authentic Japanese ramen (get the 20hr whole-pork-broth Tonkotsu) is a surprise given the rockabilly driven Soho location.
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MASH London

4) MASH
77 Brewer St; 0207 734 2608
Being descended from Vikings, the Danes know the best stuff to plunder, as evidenced by the guys behind MASH, (or Modern American Steak House), a concept they clubbed on the head, loaded up on a boat, brought back to Copenhagen, and finally unleashed on London.
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La Bodega Negra London

5) La Bodega Negra
9 Old Compton St; 0207 758 4100
From the man behind The Big Apple's La Esquina comes La Bodega Negra: a spacious, boozy, Mexican diner linked to a smaller cafe/taqueria, whose entrance is literally inside a sex shop.
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Pitt Cue Co. London

6) Pitt Cue Co.
1 Newburgh St; 0207 287 5578
Upgrading from their vaunted food truck, Pitt Cue is a small Soho shrine to the art of smoking meat, matching the likes of 14hr brisket with "mac, oxtail & cheese".
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Pizza Pilgrims LONDON

7) Pizza Pilgrims
11-12 Dean St; 7780 667258
Because nothing says "pilgrims" like staying in a fixed location, the folks behind PP have finally upgraded their 'za-slinging van and opened up a permanent brick and mortar in Soho.
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BYOC London

8) BYOC
28 Bedfordbury St
Hidden underneath a juice shop, this place is a true speakeasy in every aspect except that it doesn't serve booze. Instead, you bring your hooch and they'll use their wiles to turn it into something delicious.
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Hawksmoor Seven Dials London

9) Hawksmoor Seven Dials
11 Langley St; 0207 420 9390
Hawksmoor's sophomore spot is their biggest & best, with a beautiful space, an encyclopedic cocktail list, and some of the best steak in London.
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Koya Bar London
KOYA BAR

10) Koya Bar
50 Frith St
Get rare Japanese goodness (chilled udon noodles in hot broth, etc.) alongside Anglo-twists like English Breakfast (with egg, bacon, and udon) and even fish & chips.
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Balthazar LONDON

11) Balthazar
4-6 Russell St; 0203 301 1155
Faithfully replicating the insanely popular Manhattan original, Balthazar London will remind you of walking into a quintessential brasserie in Paris, except one that's in New York. In Covent Garden...
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Homeslice LONDON

12) Homeslice
13 Neil's Yard; 0207 836 4604
They say size isn't everything (right? Right?!) but the folks at Homeslice respectfully disagree, busting out these massive, 20in pizzas in their Covent Garden base -- and the kicker? They're made Neapolitan-style, in a crazy-hot oven, and are delicious.
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Sliderbar London

13) Sliderbar
8 Broadwick St; 0207 065 6840
Slapped in Player Bar's retro-sexual underground den, Slider's from the folks behind Lucky Chip, who've downsized their burgers into sliders sporting pulled pork, double-aged beef, and even ice cream.
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FITZROVIA/MARYLEBONE

Libertine LONDON

14) Libertine
4 Winsley St; 020 7291 1480
Head into the Libertine Club, and underneath it you'll find a hidden speakeasy with some of the most insane cocktails in the city...
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Berners Tavern London
BERNERS TAVERN

15) Berners Tavern
10 Berners St; 20 7908 7979
The signature spot from so-hot-right-now chef Jason Atherton, Berners will net you a whole shoulder of lamb, or a Ruby Red Devon sirloin, to be drowned with a rum cocktail shaken w/ Coco Pops milk.
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Dabbous London

16) Dabbous
39 Whitfield St; 0207 323 1544
With a resto up top and a walk-in bar below, Dabbous loads a sleekly industrial vibe onto its walls, and an incredibly creative & delicious one onto its plates.
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Patty & Bun London

17) Patty & Bun
54 James St
After popping up/trouser buttons all over the place, the permanent P&B's a Marylebone mess hall dominated by contruction-site-esque woodchip walls & exposed piping, even though this one isn't a temporary notion.
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Meat Liquor London

18) Meat Liquor
74 Welbeck St; 0207 224 4239
This comfort-eating mecca prides itself on huge, flavoursome burgers, plus inventive cocktails to match.
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Burger & Lobster London

19) Burger & Lobster
29 Clarges St; 0207 409 1699
For just 20 quid, these guys will give you a whole, any-style lobster pulled from London's biggest tank, OR a gigantic, secret-recipe burger.
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THE CITY

Bounce London

20) Bounce
121 Holborn; 0203 657 6525
Set in the very building table tennis was invented in, Bounce has 16 tables (including the Olympic centre court), plus wood-fired pizza, cocktails, and craft beer.
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Craft Beer Co. London

21) Craft Beer Co.
82 Leather Lane
This place has the biggest selection of craft beer in Britain, w/ 150+ bottles, 40 taps, and even their own house brews.
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The Cocktail Bar at ZTH London

22) The Cocktail Bar at ZTH
49-50 St John's Square; 0207 324 4444
Helmed by Tony "The Heston Blumenthal of Cocktails" Conigliaro, this boutique hotel drink den slings creatively old-school cocktails in a Georgian-esque space sporting a whole stuffed kangaroo.
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The Worship Street Whistling Shop London

23) The Worship Street Whistling Shop
63 Worship St; 0207 247 0015
From the boys behind Purl, this Victoriana-filled cocktail lounge has a laboratory at the back where they experiment with radiation aging, exploded martinis, and in-bottle fermentation.
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WEST LONDON

The Electric Diner London

24) The Electric Diner
191 Portobello Rd; 0207 908 9696
After ironically burning down in an electrical fire, the new Diner is helmed by a Chicago uber-chef whose famed cheeseburger was voted the US' best.
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Evans & Peel Detective Agency London

25) Evans & Peel Detective Agency
310 Earls Court Rd; 0207 373 3573
Head to E&P, and you'll be greeted by an old-fashioned detective bureau, but ask kindly and they'll open the secret door in the bookshelf to reveal the speakeasy within.
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SHOREDITCH

Yum Bun LONDON

26) Yum Bun
31 Featherstone St; (0)7919 408 221
Reinforcing the ancient adage that mankind simply cannot resist steamy buns (didn't Socrates say that?), the success of award-winning street-food-ery Yum Bun has led to an inevitably delicious permanent location in Shoreditch.
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NOLA LONDON

27) NOLA
66-68 Rivington St
Getting to New Orleans is sometimes difficult (even George W. Bush found it pretty hard), but now, if you simply head to Shoreditch, you'll find NOLA, a French Quarter-inspired bar brimming with blues, cocktails, and gumbo.
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Jubo LONDON

28) Jubo
68 Rivington St; 0207 033 0198
Your new spot for "Korean drinking food" has arrived, and it's amazing, including the likes of spice-coated fried chicken wings, boneless thighs, steamed buns, slow-cooked pork belly, and beef brisket.
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Brewdog Shoreditch London

29) Brewdog Shoreditch
51-55 Bethnal Green Rd; 0207 729 8476
Some of the world's greatest craft beers upstairs, and a menu of amazing beer cocktails downstairs. Enough said.
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Beard to Tail London

30) Beard to Tail
77 Curtain Rd; 0207 739 4781
A meaty, wood-floored, white-tiled diner whose menu's neatly divided between cow & pig, and whose drinks come from the winners of "the world's best cocktail menu".
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Tramshed London

31) Tramshed
32 Rivington St; 0207 749 0478
This huge hall is dominated by a massive Damian Hirst cow at the centre, and has a menu with just two offerings: steak, and chicken.
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Happiness Forgets London

32) Happiness Forgets
8-9 Hoxton Square; 0207 613 0325
Keen to replicate the laid-back vibe of US speakeasy culture, this signless, low-lit basement has bussed in a head barkeep from Pegu Club, the bar that arguably led New York's cocktail vanguard.
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Red Dog Saloon London

33) Red Dog Saloon
37 Hoxton Square; 0203 551 8014
Smoking their own meat, Red Dog pairs triple-decker burgers with an impressive slew of rare US craft beers on tap.
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Bar Nightjar London

34) Bar Nightjar
129-131 City Rd; 0207 253 4101
Hidden behind a blink-and-you'll-miss-it entrance, this place takes its cocktails seriously, scouring all manner of pre-Prohibition sources for recipies, then going to insane lengths to procure proper ingredients.
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Jub-Jub at Callooh Callay London

35) Jub-Jub at Callooh Callay
65 Rivington St; 0207 739 4781
This place is a bar within a bar within a bar, and that's not to mention that the whole thing is hidden behind a wardrobe at the back of Shoreditch award-magnet Callooh Callay.
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CAMDEN/ISLINGTON

Smokehouse London

36) Smokehouse
63-69 Canonbury Rd; 020 7354 1144
SH pays about as much attention to its inventive meat-laden menu (short rib bourguignon, foie gras club sandwiches, chicken-fried ribs, etc.), as it does to its beer menu, plumbing in 20 craft taps for the likes of Beavertown Smog Rocket & Camden Ink.
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John Salt London

37) John Salt
131 Upper St
JS's impressive industrial-chic interior is backed up by a massive selection of crafts (including a homebrew), and rotating chefs cooking up extremely innovative food.
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House of Wolf London

38) House of Wolf
181 Upper St; 0207 2881470
HoW makes its mark by matching a spectacular venue (three stories, incl. hidden rooms) with spectacular food (rotating popups w/ experimental themes), and spectacular cocktails (there's literally one served around your neck).
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NORTH LONDON

Chicken Shop London

39) Chicken Shop
79 Highgate Rd; 0203 310 2020
Chicken Shop is a much more thoughtful version of exactly what it sounds like: a red-bathed, wood-ceiling'd retro diner & takeout spot specializing pretty much exclusively in rotisserie fowl.
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The Shop NW10 London

40) The Shop NW10
75 Chamberlayne Rd; 0208 969 9399
Pretty much everything not bolted down in this booze slinger is for sale, including the art on the wall, the '50s grammar-school chairs, and the cocktails, which you can take home too.
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SOUTH OF THE RIVER

Dip & Flip LONDON

41) Dip & Flip
87 Battersea Rise
The French dip is a completely delicious and gravy-soaked way of serving a burger/sandwich, one that's sadly rarely seen in the UK… which is where Battersea joint (and FD specialists) Dip & Flip comes in.
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The Rookery London

42) The Rookery
69 Clapham Common South Side; 0208 673 9162
Duplicating the relaxed, urban-rustic vibe of the Lower East Side, this Clapham bar gives you a meaty British menu (Bath Chaps, etc.), rare craft taps, and classic cocktails.
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Powder Keg Diplomacy LONDON

43) Powder Keg Diplomacy
147 St Johns Hill; 0207 450 6457
From a group of ex-Lost Society bods, this Clapham drinker/diner celebrates everything about the empire's apogee, filling itself with ornate Victoriana, resurrected cocktail recipes that require homemade liqueurs, and an all-Brit menu.
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HACKNEY

Psychic Burger LONDON

44) Psychic Burger
33-35 Stoke Newington Rd; 20 7923 1680
We know what you're thinking: what's the best burger in East London, and where can I get it? The answer is Psychic Burger, and Psychic Burger.
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Sager and Wilde LONDON

45) Sager and Wilde
193 Hackney Rd
After a crazy-successful pop-up series last winter, husband & wife combo Michael and Charlotte Sager-Wilde have finally set up a proper brick & mortar spot out in Hackney, offering a bar full of 30-plus premium wines by the glass.
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Beagle LONDON

46) Beagle
397-400 Geffrye St; 0207 613 2967
Considering it's set within a trio of Shoreditch railway arches, it's fortunate the owners of Beagle have a great track record (heyo!) with spots like Bonnie Gull, and they're putting that expertise to good use by converting said arches into a bar, resto, and coffee shop.
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MAYFAIR

Rock Lobsta London

47) Rock Lobsta
1 Dover St; 20 7493 9529
Finally, a place to get lobster corn dogs ALL THE TIME, plus lobster rolls, po' boys, fried chicken burgers, and "beer cheese". It's almost like it's not Mayfair.
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